


Who's Your Daddy?

by jezebel the temptress (jezebel)



Series: Who's your daddy? [1]
Category: Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter - Laurell K. Hamilton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-26
Updated: 2010-07-26
Packaged: 2017-10-10 19:51:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/103647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jezebel/pseuds/jezebel%20the%20temptress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What do you do when the test is blue?  Anita discovers something she would rather not know and has to cope with the fall out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who's Your Daddy?

**Author's Note:**

> This was written before/during the initial publication of Obsidian Butterfly and so ignores Narcissus in Chains and any subsequent books.

Prologue

"It can't be blue, it just can't." Anita said as she stared at the test that Ronnie held in  
her hand. She knew that her friend was not going to be sympathetic to her problems  
but she was more worried about how the men in her life would react.

"Anita, it is." Ronnie said. "The question now is how to tell Richard." There was a  
smile on the private investigator's face as she thought it over. Anita paled, she had  
slept with both he and Jean-Claude and realistically thanks to the Master Vampires  
predilection for sex in water she knew that it was possible either was the father.

"It could be Jean-Claude's too." Anita said, with an uncharacteristic shyness. Ronnie's  
eyes bugged as she looked at her friend with wide-eyed disbelief. She had heard  
about Monica's baby from Anita's stories, knew that it was almost possible for  
younger Vamps to have babies, but surely not one centuries old like Jean-Claude.

"What are you going to do?" Ronnie asked. "Maybe you could have an abortion." She  
suggested. Anita shook her head, because somewhere in her subconscious was a little  
voice telling her that she needed this baby and that killing her baby was wrong. She  
had always thought that given this nightmare she would abort but now she knew there  
was something growing inside her she could not just kill it.

"I don't know Ronnie, I just don't know."

-

 

Part 1 - Telling the Truth.

 

Bert Vaughn stared at the papers in front of him with the same look of incredulity that  
she had seen on Ronnie's face. Anita wondered if she would be charged with murder  
if she shot the next person that used that look on her, maybe she could blame it on  
hormones.

"Anita, If you want time off I can try to schedule it." He said angrily. "I'm not too  
happy about it but you don't have to do something quite this drastic."

"Bert, I'm pregnant." She said. He laughed.

"You're dating a vampire Anita, I may just book the sessions but I am not clueless."  
She held her tongue as she felt the need to correct him and instead handed him the  
note from her doctor, she felt like a child needed permission to get out of gym class.  
Bert looked it over and then studied her carefully, he let out a sigh and signed the  
papers.

"I guess this means that I need to start looking into family holidays and tax breaks."  
He said. Anita smiled, there was no congratulations or well wishes, there never was  
with Bert, it was always just business.

"I'm sure you'll manage it." She said as she turned to leave, slamming the door behind  
her and scaring the next customer. With a sigh she began to pack the few meagre  
things that she kept at the office into a box and left the dying plant on Larry's desk as  
a parting gift. She was going to return after the child was born, but that did not  
explain why she felt as if she was leaving for good.

-

She knocked at the Circus despite having keys. After a few attacks by the Humans  
First even the mortal employees were a little reluctant about daytime visitors and she  
felt it was safer to knock. She was not surprised when Jason answered, wearing only  
a pair of jeans that were more rips than material and with sleep mussed hair.

"Anita?" He asked, looking behind her as if surprised that she was alone. "What's  
wrong?" She smiled at his concern, not just for his boss' girl or his lupa but almost as  
if he was a friend. She had not been to the circus in weeks, telling Jean-Claude and  
Richard that she needed time alone, both were used to her brooding and neither had so  
much as invaded her dreams. She wondered how they were coping.

"Is Jean-Claude here?" She asked, realising how stupid it sounded when she realised  
that it was not yet dusk. Jason turned his head gently to reveal two fresh marks that  
glistened with blood and smiled sardonically. Jean-Claude was awake and warm.

"Richard is with him." Jason warned as she marched toward the bedroom, she was not  
surprised to find the pair in bed together with little clothes on. As soon as she entered  
they looked to her with confusion and she wondered if this was what a convict felt  
like as he faced a firing squad. The room was dressed in Red and Black and the  
leather couch which was the most recent addition to the furnishings was piled with  
large cushions in matching fabrics. Ignoring the occupants of the bed she went to sit  
and was not surprised to find that they joined her a few moments later.

"Anita?" Richard asked as she reached out absently to play with a strand of his loose  
hair. She loved the silky sheen to it, if it was his baby she wondered if the child  
would have such smooth hair too.

"What ails you, Ma Petite?" Jean-Claude asked nervously as he watched her, she  
smiled at his use of the English Language if it were his child would they bring him or  
her up bilingual?

"I'm pregnant." Anita said, her eyes daring one of them to argue as her hand went for  
the gun, only lead but it would hurt like a son of a bitch. Both gasped as they realised  
that it was the extra heartbeat that they had both heard and being able to place why it  
felt odd. Richard stood and put some physical distance between them and she saw his  
eyes flash amber. Jean-Claude moved closer to Anita who promised herself that she  
was not going to cry. He pulled her close and began to whisper how much he loved  
her and that he wanted her even more now that she was with child. Richard turned on  
her and glared as the two cuddled close, even now he was back with her and they  
were sharing her again it pained him to see the two of them together, in truth he  
thought that the sting would never truly lessen.

"Whose?" He asked as she shucked the arm that Jean-Claude had thrown around her  
and stood to face him, she may be pregnant but she still carried a Browning and knew  
how to use it. He had three chances to back down, two lead and then one silver.

"I don't know." She grated out as she pointed the gun level. "Now back down  
Richard. I love you but that doesn't mean I won't pull this trigger." She said, he  
looked at her for a moment and then backed down. He knew that even if the child she  
carried was his she would not hesitate. Sometimes it was just a matter of principle for  
Anita Blake to kill first and ask questions later, he was willing to die for his own  
principles, but not for hers.

"Ah, Ma Petite. You do get yourself into the most difficult situations." Jean-Claude  
chided her as if she were a small child, she shook her head, it was not only her fault  
but how did she tell him that?

-

Part 2 - Scenes from a Pregnancy.

"How are you?" Jason asked as he approached her tentatively. She was not known for  
her leniency at the best of times, now she was pregnant both her temper and Browning  
were on a hair trigger.

Since she had announced her pregnancy to her two lovers Anita had found herself  
under surveillance, first at home with either Richard or Jean-Claude there bugging her  
incessantly and now with every monster in St. Louis. It had been at her Doctor's  
recommendation that she move into the Circus, at least that was how Richard had  
interpreted it when they had gone to the clinic together. Ronnie had been busy and  
after Edward, who she could not even begin to imagine holding her hand the Alpha  
had been her next choice. She had to get plenty of bed rest and now she found herself  
lying in Jean-Claude's bed all day while he slept in his coffin.

"What do you want Jason?" She asked, there was an edge of anger to her voice but he  
knew that after all they had shared that she would not kill him, at least not  
permanently. She was more than his friend, she was his lupa.

"Jean-Claude asked that I check on you every hour." He said, knowing that her smile  
was because this was his first visit and it was almost lunch time. "I came to see if you  
wanted lunch, or rather what you want for lunch seeing as you have to eat." It seemed  
strange to have a twenty something werewolf playing nursemaid, but she preferred  
Jason to the other alternative. Despite being Geri Sylvie still seemed to bear a grudge  
against Anita that even saving her life could not budge.

"Any chance of skipping the food and just getting a double espresso?" She asked,  
Jason laughed and handed her the bag containing a bagel with cheese, a bran muffin  
and some fresh fruit. Maybe she should try her chances with Sylvie, or better yet  
Edward, at least they would let her drink coffee. Jason had read a dozen books on  
pregnancy and decided that caffeine was bad for the baby, but much to Jean-Claude's  
delight sex was actually beneficial. At least not all the good things were taken away.

-

"You have to marry me." Richard said on their second trip to the ante natal clinic.

"I think I prefer when you proposed last time." She said, referring to his less than  
traditional engagement. At one point she would have thought of Richard as her fiancé  
although she had never worn a ring, having met his family, his friends and his pack  
she broke off the engagement. It was not meeting them that put her off but rather his  
eating someone, funny how seeing a grown man eat another man would turn her  
stomach. Now she was beginning to wonder if this was one of the reasons it was  
better that they had not.

"It's my child." He said.

"Not necessarily." She said in reply. "Just because the amnio was clear it doesn't  
mean that you are suddenly the father." It had been the wrong choice of words really,  
considering that whatever happened she knew that Richard would help bring up the  
child. That was not a reason to get married.

Richard sighed, there was no way that he was going to talk her around and if he tried  
he could end up staring down the wrong end of the barrel of her gun. This was not an  
argument that he was going to win.

-

Willie was naturally nervous, he had been a small fish in the big pond when he was  
alive and now he was dead it was no different so it was with great trepidation that he  
approached the Circus. The public were unaware of the struggles going on in the  
underground caverns below the visitor centre but all of the monsters knew that it was  
not safe to attempt to go there unless you wanted to incur the wrath of one of the most  
terrifying beasts in the city. Oh, he didn't mean Jean-Claude, although the Master of  
the City was renowned for his strength, nor did he mean the giant snake. No the  
entire city feared the Executioner. Rumour had it that one of the Vampires had  
overstepped his bounds and she had cast his soul out of his body for eternity. Now  
Willie was pretty sure that he knew Anita better than that, she believed in the sanctity  
of life (even if she had revised her definition of terms a few times in the last year or  
so), but he was not really sure how pregnancy was affecting her. Why was it that they  
had nominated him as spokesperson?

"Willie, what are you doing here?" Jason asked as he answered the door, a job that  
was rapidly becoming his as he was one of the only conscious inhabitants of the  
Circus this early in the evening.

"I came to see Anita." He said, Jason laughed at the obvious fear in the other.

"What is it?" Jason asked. Willie looked at him with question and shrugged a little.  
"Can't let you in without a reason." Jason said with a smile, he liked the power trip he  
was on. "Bosses orders." Willie didn't like to ask which boss.

"I have a message." He said vaguely. Jason sighed and let him pass.

"I'd say it's your funeral but I'm pretty sure you already had one of those." He said as  
he let the young Vampire pass. It really wasn't that bad but it made his job easier if  
Anita was not disturbed, she tended to bitch about interruptions and no matter who  
she complained to it came back to him.

Willie went in to the chambers where he knew Anita was resting and was surprised  
when she invited him in with a smile, he knew that she was heavily pregnant but  
nothing prepared him for the sight in front of him, she was quite largely pregnant and  
sat on a full sofa her feet propped up and a pile of papers laying in her lap.

"Willie, What do you want?" She asked looking up from her reading, something that  
Willie noticed to be a folder, most probably a crime she was consulting on.

"I've got a message." He said, Anita raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Willie was  
usually timid but she could almost taste his fear. "It's from the Council."

"Go on..." She said carefully, not wanting to raise too much worry for fear that either  
Richard, or Jean-Claude or both would feel it. She saw a change come over Willie as  
his whole demeanour became more self assured and confident.

"We wish to welcome your blessed child into this earth Anita, all scores are settled,  
all debts cleared. As of this moment Jean-Claude is no longer out of favour with the  
council." The voice said, it sent shivers down her spine as she remembered their last  
visit, one that they had barely survived.

"I didn't know he was out of favour." She said, she knew that things were tough but  
not that there was some list of Vampires that had pissed off the council, she would  
have assumed if such a list did exist that names were put on it posthumously.

"Don't question it Anita, just accept it." He said. Anita felt a strange sensation like a  
hand reaching out and touching her stomach before she saw the fear come back over  
Willie and he returned to his body.

"Well, thanks for that Willie." She said acerbically, she almost saw him flinch at the  
words. If she had not been so shaken she might have worried about that, he was not  
supposed to be afraid.

"I'm sorry, I thought..." He began, but was cut off by her raised hand.

"Just go, and next time think before you act." She said. He left, thankful that he still  
had his life and leaving Anita to ponder what the Traveller had said. 'Curiouser and  
Curiouser' As Alice would say.

 

Part 3 - From the outside in.

Asher looked at the small bundle that lay in the crib, unlike him the small child was  
perfect in every way. The beauty and strength of her mother and the knowing eyes of  
her father, she truly was Jean-Claude's child. The doctors had done a DNA test and  
were confused when it came back as inconclusive, there was no way that the child  
could have two father they said, not biologically. Anita had laughed at that, had told  
them that anything was possible and he supposed that she was right, after all no  
triumvirate had ever produced a child before.

He still remembered the first time he had been introduced to the then hour's old child.  
Anita was resting in the make shift hospital that the wereanimals had set up, with  
Cherry at her side. It seemed that even though she could not be a nurse in 'human'  
hospitals that the wererats and other shifters that were treated there didn't mind so  
much. Anita was not an animal, but they also treated monsters at the hospital and  
much to the Executioner's chagrin there were a lot of humans that would call her a  
monster.

Anita had been sitting up in bed, thanking the three marks that made her heal faster  
than most and between the two men in her life. Asher felt almost as if he was  
intruding until Damian had said that she had asked for him expressly, he did not  
understand why until he got inside.

"Ma Petite brought us a beautiful daughter." Jean-Claude announced as any proud  
father would. Asher tried to smile and looked closer at the small person in the cot.

"We were talking about names." Richard prompted. "Anita..."

"I thought we could call her Julianna Charlotte Blake." Anita said. "Part of each of  
us, part of us all." Asher was taken aback as the tears began to form. It would be the  
most fitting tribute to his lady love that anyone could give him. Nothing would make  
up for his loss but this would almost be a new start. The triumvirate had witnessed  
the first show of true joy from Asher in over two centuries when he agreed.

Now he looked at the child that bore such hope and smiled openly. She was already  
showing signs of power as deep as her mother's and while they were all glad that she  
was not furry once a month or suffering from Vlad's syndrome he knew that she  
would have a tough time growing up as a monster. Luckily she had a family behind  
her, but it may never be enough.

"Mon Ami?" Jean-Claude asked as he entered the nursery to check on his bundle of  
joy, his friend was often found here with Julianna just watching her sleep. It made  
Jean-Claude smile as he had often seen his friend do the same with his child's  
namesake.

"She looks so peaceful. So innocent." Asher said as he turned to his friend and the  
two embraced amiably as they had done so many years before. She truly was a child  
of power, if nothing else she had brought the lovers close and the city's monsters  
closer.

-

Jean-Claude watched as Richard and Anita prepared Julianna for the ceremony, she  
had to be officially accepted into the pack. It was a pretty tame ritual but Vampires  
and other beasts were not allowed to the lupanar without permission and Richard was  
being stubborn about it. It was strange, he would have thought that the baby would  
have brought them closer but it appeared that there were still some things that he felt  
left out of. Despite Anita living at the Circus of the Damned it was not permanent and  
Richard had the perfect house for a family and was a better father than Jean-Claude,  
after all he was an elementary teacher that was only a monster 3 days a month. Jean-  
Claude was a monster for eternity.

He hoped that Anita would not forget the promise that they had made, that if she and  
Richard got married that he would back off. After all she must know that he would  
have changed his mind after Julianna was born. Things were certainly different now  
and there was no way that he would let either of the women in his life leave without a  
fight.

Part 4- Anita's choices.

Julianna cooed up at her mother as she was bundled into Anita's left arm suckling at  
her breast. Anita was used to holding the baby while keeping one hand free for a gun.  
She was supposed to be deciding what to do about it all but the truth was that it was  
too hard to make any decisions about her life while she had a two month old baby to  
look after.

She had a house in the middle of nowhere which had suited her when she was single  
but despite having the space for a child she did not want to bring Julianna up in  
somewhere that was so vulnerable. The reporters had not yet picked up on the fact  
that the Executioner had given birth to the Master's baby but word was already out  
amongst the monsters of the city and she knew that it left her in danger. The pack  
was sworn to protect her and her child but they could do very little without posting a  
24 hour watch, even Richard did not want her and his daughter living alone. That left  
two choices, her current abode at the Circus of the Damned or moving in with Richard  
and facing the wrath of Jean-Claude. Anita sighed as Julianna shifted slightly in her  
arms, this was too much to take.

She wondered what Grandmother Blake would say about the situation that she had  
gotten herself into, or her mother for that matter. She was certain that neither of them  
would approve of the situation she found herself in but this was the twenty first  
century and there was nothing that she could do about it - not anymore. Had Ronnie  
been right? Would an abortion have been a better idea? As if answering the question  
Julianna opened her eyes and looked up at her mother. The small girl had Richard's  
expressive brown eyes, a feature that Anita knew would make her a popular girl  
where the boys were concerned.

If there had been conclusive proof as to which was the father it would make choosing  
a home a lot easier, the problem was that even a second opinion had led to no answer  
as to which was Julianna's Dad. The third doctor had done some DNA matching and  
found that technically both were the father; Louis had explained that it was likely that  
both were indeed contributors to Julianna's genetic make up and that it was some  
weird part of the triumvirate that made it that way.

There had to be an easy way of deciding what the future held, it was just not apparent  
to her at this time. She would stay at the Circus for the time being, at least she knew  
that she was safe there. Richard may not like it but she would rather incur his wrath  
than Jean-Claude's, she was pretty sure that Jean-Claude would not kill her but it was  
not a theory she wanted to test.

 

Part 5 - Growing up.

"JuJu!" Nathaniel called out as he searched for the toddler. He knew that she was safe  
wherever she was but it still worried him that she had gotten away so easily. He and  
Stephen were not the first choice for baby-sitters but they had been available and free.  
He was about to go and phone Anita when he smelt the lukoi pack and then saw the  
little girl, large brown eyes filled with joy as she sat in the middle of the floor with her  
blanket trailing behind her and her favorite stuffed toy in her arms.

"N'dan'dol." She said as he got closer and picked her up, cuddling her closer and  
carrying her back into her room. He was not used to the name but Jason had said that  
for a child there was a lot that was difficult to learn and names were one. In truth he  
was learning a lot about children through looking after Julianna a few hours a week  
and was glad that Anita would trust him with such a big responsibility. This was the  
closest he had come to letting her down and he hoped that the small child had only  
been gone a few moments. Of course in Julianna's world that was still long enough to  
do an awful lot of damage.

The toddler was fairly strong magically for one so young and Anita was already sure  
that she would grow up to be a strong necromancer but she also had a strength and  
stamina that was far beyond her years. It was unclear as to whether the power came  
from one or both of her fathers, or from the fact that she had been in the womb of a  
human servant with three marks, but it was certain that she was extraordinary. This of  
course made looking after her a task that required superhuman powers, luckily for  
Anita there seemed to be an abundance of those type of people willing to apply for the  
job.

Nathaniel got her back into the room just in time to see her father enter the room.

"Did my little monster get out again?" He asked as he came into the room and  
dropped his briefcase, he was home from work and had come straight to the Circus to  
pick her up.

"DADDY!" Julianna shrieked excitedly as she wriggled in Nathaniel's arms waiting  
for him to release her. As she got down she ran to the man that towered over her and  
pulled on his trouser leg as an indication for him to pick her up. He did so obligingly  
and then turned to see Nathaniel beginning to pack her things.

"It's okay, she's staying here tonight." Richard said with a smile, he had a grudging  
respect for the wereleopards after all they had gone through and felt a little protective  
of them on account of him dating their Nimir-Ra. "We're staying tonight." He  
amended belatedly.

"Is anything wrong?" Nathaniel asked, he could smell the anger and distrust in  
Richard. He was worried that something was wrong with Anita. Richard shook his  
head causing his long hair to brush across Julianna's cheek and making her laugh.

"No, She's just out H-U-N-T-I-N-G again." Richard said, spelling the word as he  
knew that it was one that Julianna recognized and would unduly upset her. "So, we  
get to stay in with Papa tonight." He said plastering on a fake smile and talking to his  
baby girl. She squealed in delight and he knew that he would put up with the  
Vampire just for her sake. That and the fact that he was tied to him, thanks to the  
baby they all were.

-

Anita trudged through the mud and cursed as she almost lost her sneaker in the filth,  
there was one definite drawback of working in graveyards and that was that there was  
a lot more dirt than ought to be allowed and when it rained it made even the most easy  
paths difficult to tread. She was supposed to be looking for a rogue vampire, one that  
had been killing churchgoers to Evensong. The problem was that she could not find a  
single sign that there had even been a Vamp here, it was only when she felt as if she  
was being watched that she saw him, a large shadowy figure that she knew the rumors  
had been true.

He reminded her a little of Edward in both his blonde hair and the fact that he had a  
look of death in his eyes, there was no life in them and no compassion, just a cold  
blooded killer. Anita let her cross pool around her neck as she reached for the gun,  
silver shot would not kill a Vampire but it would slow him down and stung like a  
motherfucker. She pulled the trigger twice, hitting lungs, heart and head. The Vamp  
acted like a strung out junkie on PCP and just carried on walking forward, a second  
shot blew away the rest of the heart as it stopped the Vampire who fell to the ground.  
Pulling out the long knife from her spine sheath Anita went to behead it as she did she  
heard the Vampire utter a few words of an archaic language that she did not  
recognize. She was not really one for superstition but she made note to remember  
what it was he had said, better to err with caution than end up dead because you forgot  
to believe. With a swift blow she separated head and body and felt the blood spurt  
from his jugular as it was severed. Damn, now she would have to change.

She hated hunting just before going home, Jean-Claude looked at her with a hungry  
expression and it was not for sex. He always wanted the blood.

-

The Circus was busy when she got back and she wondered if the people queuing to  
get in thought that the blood covered woman that entered through the staff entrance  
was part of the attractions that they were there to see. Sometimes it helped to lived in  
the district, people were less likely to question a small amount of blood on you. Anita  
was too tired to react when two young girls pointed in her direction, she would  
usually make sure that they knew she was human but these days even she had begun  
to question her mortality.

"Anita." Jason said as he opened the door, he had obviously smelled her or rather the  
blood and come to investigate. Sometimes she wondered whether his curiosity would  
get him killed, but she didn't like to think about that because Jason was on her list of  
people to protect and if he died she would have to avenge it. "Always a pleasure to  
see you."

"Careful." She said. "You almost sound sincere."

Jason and she had been close for a long time, she didn't have best friend but if she did  
he would certainly be in the running; Richard was a lover, Edward a brother in arms  
but Jason was almost her equal and yet still stayed. Maybe it was something about  
scraping rotten flesh from a person's skin but she felt some bond with him that she  
had not found in many of the others; Nathaniel needed her protection, Jean-Claude her  
strength but Jason needed only her company. He was perhaps the only one of the  
monsters that served all three members of the triumvirate and yet treated them all with  
equal parts suspicion and respect.

"Anita, darling, you know that I love it so much when you're here." He said with a  
fake British accent. "Richard and Jean-Claude are in the 'office', waiting for you."  
He reported in his usual tone, she could tell by the roll of his eyes that he had been  
ordered to give her the message as soon as she arrived. She hated the fact that she had  
not even had time to wash yet and the boys wanted her but they probably had some  
business that desperately needed discussing. Taking out her weapons she checked  
them over before entering the office, even with her lovers it never hurt to be careful.

"Ah, Ma Petite, so glad that you could join us." Jean-Claude said with a smile, she  
knew that his gaze did not work on her and yet she felt the passion of his voice when  
he said her pet name wrap around her and make her shiver with anticipation.

"I need a shower." Anita said as she shrugged off both their gazes and made her way  
to the bathroom. She shut the door and locked it behind her, knowing that if either  
wanted to they could both snap the lock as if it were not even there but knowing that  
with the firestarter on the toilet cistern neither would try. The shower was a new  
addition, something she had insisted Jean-Claude install if she were to move in - baths  
were fine for making love and long Sunday soaks but when you got covered in grime  
as often as she did sometimes you only had time for a shower.

"Anita. We need to talk." Richard shouted through the door as she got out, he had  
obviously heard the water shut off and wanted her out there as soon as possible.  
Anita took her time as she tied her hair back and dressed in the fresh clothes that she  
had with her. It was not exactly a sexy negligée but her Arthur Conan Doyle T-shirt  
was one of her favorites and she liked it as it still had a little of Richard's scent from  
the last time he had worn it. Opening the door she walked out followed by a cloud of  
steam, perhaps one of the only problems of an underground bathroom was its lack of  
ventilation.

"What is it?" She asked, wondering why they were there and not at Richard's where  
she and Julianna were due to spend the night.

"I always loved your directness Ma Petite, Have I told you that?" Jean-Claude asked  
in his usual sarcastic tone, Anita glared back but did not retort as he would have  
expected.

"It's Verne." Said Richard as he pulled her into his lap. "There is another Master  
trying to move in on his territory."

"Haven't the council forbidden turf wars?" She asked, Jean-Claude smiled but said  
nothing.

"The problem is that since no one replaced Colin the lands are up for grabs. It would  
appear that the Master who wants possession does not seem to understand that the  
pack have control." Jean-Claude spoke loftily, he had been a dissenting voice over the  
death of Colin and his Human servant, although he understood why they had killed  
her he had not been happy. It seemed that even with Asher in danger he would have  
preferred to find some other way of doing things.

"What does Verne want us to do?" Anita asked. "It's not like we can do anything  
about it."

"He seems to think that if the triumvirate go there and show their support for the pack  
that no Master will make a move on the territory." Jean-Claude seemed amused,  
Anita was not. She liked Verne, hell, without Marianne she would have a lot less  
control over her powers and Verne had been a great help in forming a healthy unit for  
the pard. She just knew it was a bad idea for them to go.

"What about Julianna?" Anita asked. "I'm no great maternal figure but I'm pretty  
sure there'll be killing and I'm not taking her into that." She spoke as a true mother,  
no one wanted their daughter to see as much carnage as Julianna would in her life,  
Anita had wrestled with the demons of her position on many nights as she watched  
her daughter sleep but it was as much her life as it was Anita's. Still, every child  
deserved an innocent childhood and she would not willingly expose her daughter to it.

"You want to go?" Richard asked, he sounded a little dubious but she was sure  
whether they agreed or not he was going and she would rather be there when he stood  
against them than just feel it when he died.

"Will the Council allow it?" She asked, aiming the question at Jean-Claude, the  
Vampire thought it over for a moment before nodding; even if it counted against them  
Jean-Claude was pretty sure that they had to go. The Master would know that they  
had asked the triumvirate for help and his not going would be a show of weakness  
which would cause others to try to take his territory. He knew that with his two  
servants he could hold the boundaries of his lands but he did not want to lose soldiers  
when others tested it. Unnecessary death was so unsightly.

"We can go if you wish it Ma Petite."

She hated that, if something went wrong it would be her fault, but being the woman  
she always had to make the decisions. Some days she wondered why she stayed with  
them.

"Okay." Anita agreed. "Now I need to go see to Julianna before we go off and leave  
her." The two pairs of eyes followed her as she left the room and then met in a gaze  
that spoke of their uncertainty; neither was sure what she was doing or what would  
face them in Tennessee but they would be prepared. Wordlessly both went to begin  
settling their affairs and arranging to leave the state, one preparing Vampires the other  
wolves. As with their other trips this would take tact and diplomacy, neither was sure  
that Anita was prepared but both knew it had to be done. If they succeeded no one  
would question their power again and the three would be safe, if they lost all could  
die.

At least Julianna would be safe at home, there would be threats and punishments to  
back up the promise that all had made to protect her and both men knew that the  
monsters would keep her safe, not just through fear of death but because she was the  
hope for a future that they had planned.

Part 6 - Leaving Home

Anita was half way through packing when she heard the knock, she had only a small  
space at the Circus to call her own but the monsters knew better than to ignore the  
warnings of what would happen if they entered. She may be dating the Master of the  
City but she was still the Executioner.

"Mistress?" A voice asked, she turned to see Damian standing in the doorway. He  
was her Vampire, she knew that now he would not be going with them on this trip,  
she had made sure of that. It was nothing personal, well it was but not the way that  
Jean-Claude thought. Damian had been the one that told her of Jean-Claude's true  
powers and she knew that he was one that she could trust.

"Damian, What is it?" She asked, just because she trusted him didn't mean that she  
liked his interruptions.

"I have news, or rather information." He said, she looked at him with a raised  
eyebrow and then signaled that he come in and close the door, she knew that no one  
would disturb them but she did not trust someone to walk past and accidentally  
overhear whatever it was that he had to say. "Jean-Claude has made a deal with the  
Council." He said curtly. "He wants to regain their favor."

"He already has it." Anita said as she remembered the Traveler's visit to her. "Not  
that I even know why he lost favor." Damian looked at her as if she was insane and  
then spoke again.

"Jean-Claude refused to give you over to them." He said. "The Traveler wished a  
conference with just you and Jean-Claude refused it. When Julianna was born they  
wanted to know that she was not a threat to them so they gave him temporary  
reprieve. Now he fears that they will retract that as she grows stronger."

Damian was always a fount of knowledge, she knew that he would be punished if she  
went to confront Jean-Claude about the things she had found out but it was always  
good to know who to trust more than others, of course she had learned that it was  
better not to trust anyone but that would make her less human than she liked and the  
last thing she wanted was to end up as sociopath; that would make her Edward and  
she didn't want to think that she was that far gone.

"So, what deal did he strike with them?" She asked, his face clouded.

"I'm sorry Mistress, I don't know." He replied.

"And even if you did you wouldn't tell me right?" She asked knowingly, he shook his  
head not really answering the question and turned to leave.

"You have my loyalty and my heart Anita, do not ask for my soul as well." He said,  
she didn't understand until he faced her and she saw the pain in his eyes. Jean-Claude  
had bought his freedom from his old Master, she knew that he could send him back  
there too.

"You'll stay and keep an eye on Julianna?" She asked, it was less of a question and  
more of a statement.

"She is an extension of you, I would give my life for hers." And she knew in that  
moment that he meant it. You couldn't buy that kind of devotion, but she was never  
sure if it was his misguided love that made him that way. Still it made her happy that  
he was there, after all with Asher there too at least Julianna would be safe.

-

They took the private Jet, the menagerie of St. Louis' finest monsters. If you had seen  
them board the plane you would have thought that they were just a random group of  
passengers but the group were killers and they knew it. Richard had Jamil and Shang-  
Da at his side, Jason and a newer Vamp Cronus were accompanying Jean-Claude and  
Anita had Zane, and her various guns and weapons with her. Anita trusted weapons  
over people, they didn't have tricky things like consciences to get in the way.

Asher, Damian, Nathaniel, Stephen and a mix of others were left at the Circus with  
only one key objective, watching the toddler and keeping her safe. Had they known  
just how special she was they would have known from the beginning that it was a  
trap.

Anita was sitting in the familiar surroundings of Marianne's Kitchen when she felt it,  
Jean-Claude was asleep and Richard was with Verne talking pack business but she  
knew that he would have felt it too. It was the same level of pain she had felt first  
after Alejandro's death and again when Sabine had threatened the men in her life; a  
ripping from inside as if someone had taken her heart and shredded it. It was a brief  
pain but then she slumped into unconsciousness.

Richard too had lost his wits for a moment but he had not lost as much energy as  
Anita. His first reaction was to return to her side but when he went to leave he felt the  
powerful claws of an attack, when he turned he saw Jamil in his path. He should have  
known that the right hand man would take a chance like this to bring the pack to him,  
it was a direct attack on his authority and he knew that he had to meet the challenge or  
he would die.

Usually fights of this distinction would only happen at the lupanar but Jamil did not  
seem as if he wanted to wait. Richard had always had reservations about killing, he  
had wanted to find some amicable way of settling his differences with Marcus, now  
he was faced with having to kill again it didn't seem so hard. First blood was the  
hardest to draw, even if it was a fight to the death. Jamil was similarly built to  
Richard and he was trained to kill without remorse, as enforcer he was used to killing  
and he had used his abilities a lot of times under Marcus' rule, with Richard drawing  
power from the triumvirate there was no way that he would have won but he knew  
that there was a way to separate off the power and if he had a chance it would be now.

The rumble between them did not take long, Richard was weakened by the loss of  
both Jean-Claude and temporarily of Anita but he was still stronger than Jamil in one  
way; he had more reason to live. As he felt a second slash of claws across his back he  
pictured Julianna and the killing became easier, not because he was picturing killing  
her but because he was picturing protecting her. Jamil saw the first slash of the now  
transformed claws and ducked, but the second lower blow caught him. Richard  
would have once given him a chance to back down but he knew that there was  
something telling him not to hesitate, first he slashed out the heart, it was not a truly  
killing blow, the third and final one which separated Jamil from his throat was a  
killing shot.

There were only a few wolves around for the challenge but those that were there  
began to bay low in their throats as the smell of fresh meat hit them, they changed into  
their animal selves and feasted on the body of the dead. Verne held his men back for  
a brief minute before Richard invited them to join; in doing so he was uniting the  
packs as brothers in blood, recognizing the fact that the challenge had been not only to  
him but by being on Verne's territory it had challenged him too. Richard tied them  
together in a powerful union that even they did not understand and they ate Jamil so  
that he would remain among the munin. As they ate the wolves felt the rush of power  
pass between them and Richard felt the power drawn from him as he changed back  
into his human self. He did not know what it was but his first instinct was to get to  
Anita. As he watched the others feast on Jamil he was reminded of the same  
occurrence with Marcus, was he less of a monster because he could turn his back on  
them now or was he finally losing power of the pack? He didn't know, all that  
mattered to him at that moment was his lupa, surely they would understand that.

-

The attack was not immediate after the departure of the triumvirate, those that  
mounted it knew that the biggest force that was protecting them was the Vampires.  
They called in early the next day in the middle of the afternoon. They were a joint  
force of all of those monsters that knew what the child was going to become.

Malcolm had long wanted to become the Master of the City, he knew that he did not  
have the power to hold the city while Jean-Claude was in place but the Master had  
voluntarily left his seat to go to another's lands and now was the perfect time to mount  
an assault. It had been easier than he thought getting past the door of the Circus, there  
were a few wereleopards about but they were no match for the werepanthers that he  
controlled. His black beasts held more power than the leopards and while they were  
not his to call they had sworn allegiance so that they could gain power in this  
territory, others had persecuted them across the southern states as they killed and  
maimed mercilessly, to him they were the perfect mercenaries to help him keep  
power.

The Church of Eternal Life was a great source of income and a fine example of how  
well he would integrate humans and Vampires once he was in charge. Ever since the  
Council's visit he had found he had the ability to rise earlier than many others, often  
being up before dusk settled, it gave him an advantage over those that he hoped to  
control. They found the antechamber where the child played with great ease, an  
insider had told them where they could find her and now they were inside it was going  
to be an easy task. Julianna was a cute child, an innocent look in her deep brown eyes  
that overshadowed the fact that she was a threat to all of them.

"Malcolm." Said a deep voice that the Vampire had not expected to hear, it was  
Asher. There was a tone of laughter in his voice as he entered the nursery to face the  
other Master. "Did you really think that Jean-Claude would leave his child  
unprotected?" He asked. "That you were the only one who rises early?"

"We could share the Kingdom between us." Malcolm attempted, this was met with a  
laugh. "Colin said that we could not believe you were here only for your love for  
Anita and Jean-Claude. Surely you hunger for the power he possesses, imagine  
drinking of his child."

Asher was sickened by the thought that anyone would even think of harming Julianna,  
he loved her as if he were her own father, as if she were the child of her namesake.  
He had sworn an oath to protect her and that was what he would do. Malcolm had no  
powers of his own and he knew it, this was a test of true strength and Asher had a  
trick up his sleeve that not even Jean-Claude knew about. As he waded into the fight  
and watched the werepanthers do the same he saw a flash of brown fur entering the  
room. It was Louis, Rafael and his henchmen, he just hoped they were in time.

Julianna played happily, almost oblivious to what was happening, there was a lot of  
rough housing between some of the wolves that she played with and she knew how  
boisterous they could be. So when the other people came into her room she just  
thought that they were new playmates. When one of them came towards her and  
made to attack her she rolled out of the way, but he did not stop and soon he had her  
pressed against the floor, her windpipe in his hands. The toddler, less than a year old  
struggled for air as she felt the pain. She drew on the strength that she could find and  
did not realize that she was drawing from her parents. They had not expected her to  
be able to do this but would be glad she could. Just as Richard had felt Anita pass out  
so did Julianna, even the extra strength could not heal her enough, and as a small child  
she had no way of fighting off an attacker. She was dying.

Asher felt the heart in his hands as he ripped it out of Malcolm's stomach, he had no  
way of making sure that the other man was dead but he would make sure it took a  
long time to heal. As he felt the organ go limp in his hands and the other Vamps body  
begin to decay he saw Julianna being strangled by one of the werepanthers. His last  
thought as he tried to get to her was that he had failed not only Jean-Claude but also  
his heart.

 

Part 7 - Death comes to those who wait.

As a rule Edward was used to going in guns blazing, it was a hazard of the job, but he  
had expected to have a few days off when he came here. Sure he had a higher body  
count when he was near Anita but he was used to killing people with her and not  
getting paid for it, sort of a recreational break from the real assassin work. When he  
approached the Circus of the Damned that afternoon he was not expecting to find the  
door swinging off of only one of it's hinges and a dying body at the door.

He had come to St. Louis on a bet, rumor had it that the Executioner was not only  
shacked up with the Master of the City but that she was also carrying his child. He  
knew that by the time the rumor got to Santa Fe it was probably out of proportion  
compared to the truth but he had to see for himself. There was something about the  
idea of Anita barefoot and pregnant that made him smile, it was not an image that he  
could picture in his mind. Now he was glad he had picked up a few more toys, they  
had been meant as gifts for Anita, just in case it was true that she was pregnant but  
now he figured they would be a little worn when she got them. Picking up the silver  
knives weighted for throwing and strapping on the holders as well as his own guns he  
headed inside to check the lay of the land before he began shooting. He heard the  
scream as he headed towards the rooms where he had followed Anita on his last visit.  
He saw a few bodies scattered across the length of the hall but did not stop to give aid,  
if they were not the type of monsters that Anita favored then they were dead anyway  
and it was better to avenge the deaths and prevent others than waste time trying to  
save those that were already gone.

As he entered the small room that seemed to have once been an office he saw the  
small child in the corner fighting for her innocent life against the monster on top of  
her. The small frightened look in her eyes appealed to something deep inside Edward,  
something long forgotten, his sense of innocence and without thinking he raised his  
weapon and shot the attacker. It did not matter what it was the silver shot would take  
care of it, unless it was Fey (Anita had told him of her one encounter) but he was sure  
that if the bullets did not work then the lead in his other gun would. The silver had  
the desired effect and as the monster fell he heard a gentle whimper, at first he  
thought it was the child but then he saw the man that crawled to her through  
exhaustion and pain. He had seen such strength before, in parents defending their  
children and he took out all others that attempted to harm the man, soon the man was  
at the child's side and three dead lycanthropes lay in the path he had crossed to get to  
her. Edward was about to attack what was left of those in the room when he heard a  
familiar voice, he couldn't tell where it was coming from but he knew it was speaking  
the truth.

"No more." It said to him as he stood at ease, it was only as he holstered his gun that  
he saw it was the small child that had spoken. She reminded him a little of Becca and  
he wondered if she was as innocent as his fiancee's daughter was, after the bloodshed  
she had witnessed he was not so sure.

-

Asher had not known what hit the Werepanther that attacked him all he could think of  
was getting to Julianna. By the time he reached her side her pulse was weak, he knew  
that chances were she would not last the night. She was so young and innocent that  
he could not let her die but he was not sure that he would survive if he did the one  
thing that would keep her alive. As he administered the first mark he prayed to the  
God that had forsaken him to bless the child and forgive him what he was about to do  
to her, he did not want to damn her to hell but he did not want her to die either. As he  
cradled her to him and she began to recover he saw the approaching leather clad  
figure. He had met Edward only briefly at the Danse Macabre, he was not sure that  
given a bloodlust the assassin would know him but he hoped that he would.

"No more." He heard Julianna whimper as Edward raised his gun, he saw a change  
cross the killer's face as she spoke and he watched him holster his weapons and stand  
at ease. Asher hated that he had failed his friend's and that Julianna had seen the  
horror of their world so early but in a way maybe it was better for her to be baptized  
with the blood earlier so that she would grow up to know death and not fear it. Asher  
stood and carried her out of the room and was met in the doorway by Damian, he had  
been so caught up in the battle that he had not felt the onset of dusk. The older  
Vampire took in the sight around him and then looked at the child.

"You marked her." He accused, Asher shrugged, but the tears were forming in his  
eyes as he realized all that he had done, how could she ever be innocent now that she  
was marked as his?

"It had to be done." He said, sounding more like Anita now than himself, as if  
marking her had been the most expedient thing to do. Damian could taste that it was  
not a lie. Edward came to meet them in the corridor.

"I knew that coming here would mean more kills to my name." Edward said as he  
wiped the blood from his black gloves, careful not to leave prints, even though he was  
pretty sure that these bodies would never make it into official hands he was not about  
to get careless. "Is Anita around?"

"They've gone." Asher said as he tried to hold the now wriggling girl in his arms, she  
wanted to see the new visitor and her curiosity would not quieten.

"Is that the child that I've heard so much about?" He asked. Asher tried to decide  
what it was that he had heard, he figured that Edward would trade information if he  
had any.

"It's Anita's daughter." He said with a nod. "Why what have you heard?"

"Just that the child of the triumvirate may spell the end to all who oppose them." He  
said. "They speak of some ancient prophecy."

"That explains the attack." Damian said, speaking his mind without thinking about  
whether or not he could trust Death.

"Yeah, but they weren't very smart." Edward said with a completely serious face,  
Asher looked at him with one raised eyebrow. "If they were smart they would have  
hired a professional."

-

Part 8 - Coming Home.

Anita woke to a throbbing head and a warm cloth on her head, she knew that the  
warm cloth was thanks to Richard as she could just about make him out as he loomed  
over her, the sore head was something that she could not figure out.

"Ah, Ma Petite, so good of you to join us." Jean-Claude said in his ever so slightly  
amused voice, she could tell from his presence that she had been out a while. It had  
been late afternoon last thing she remembered and now it was late enough for him to  
be not only awake but warm.

"What happened?" She asked no one in particular. "I feel as if someone ran me over  
with my own jeep." No one laughed, that was a bad thing, usually she would get at  
least a polite laugh. She looked around and noticed the people that should be there  
with two exceptions, Jamil was missing and instead only Shang-Da stood at Richard's  
right and Cronus was questionably missing. "Where are...?"

"Dead." Richard said and she heard the haunted tone of his voice, when she looked to  
him there was a blankness to his expression that she did not like. She knew that he  
had killed at least one of them, there was no remorse in him only regret and that  
meant it had to be Jamil. Anita had felt uneasy at first with Richard letting the  
enforcer stay, but she had understood why he had done it, after the run in with  
Franklin Niley even she had trusted him. She knew that it hurt to kill someone you  
had thought could be trusted, and she knew how hard it was to learn the fact that no  
one was above evil.

"Why was there such a draw on the power, did you need it for the fight?" She asked,  
Richard shook his head and she saw the tears fall. "What is it?" He may be a  
sensitive man but she had rarely see him cry.

"Jean-Claude lost Julianna a few hours ago, now they can't get through to the Circus."  
Jason said softly as his own voice wavered. "It was a set up. Cronus was sent by  
Malcolm to try and kill Jean-Claude and Jamil to kill Richard." Jason said. "They  
must have thought the loss would kill you."

"Or they wanted her alive." Marianne added. She stood towards the back of the room  
but could still be heard. "You would be amazed what they can use to hold you to  
them when they have the chance." She said bitterly, Verne smiled slightly and she  
returned it but it was a private thought between them both. "They may have meant to  
keep you with them by using Julianna."

Anita was too worried about her baby to think of anything else, the immediate danger  
was averted and all she wanted to do was get back to her daughter. She had a child to  
find or a death to avenge. Jean-Claude and Richard obviously felt the same way  
because a few hours later they were back on the plane and heading home, back to St.  
Louis where it had all begun.

-

Asher felt the exact moment that she slipped into sleep, he had slid into her dreams to  
check that she was not having nightmares and was surprised to find that she was not at  
all affected by the violence of the day's events. Edward was organising the now  
healed wereleopards to get rid of the dead bodies and those that were left alive were  
locked in the cages that were meant for the animals until it could be decided what was  
to be done with them. Malcolm was dead, his minions no doubt scattered to the four  
corners of the city but Asher was sure that they would have come forward by the time  
Jean-Claude returned, a few had already met Death at the door when they came to  
appeal to his better nature. They humorously thought Asher would be less harsh  
about their rebellion.

Asher could feel morning coming as he heard Edward move back down the corridor,  
he heard familiar voices and was glad that Jean-Claude was back. He had a new  
respect for his friend now that he had spent one night trying to hold the city. Anita  
was barely standing as Richard held her up and yet she still managed to hold a gun  
pointed at the floor, he was pretty sure that even with the last ounce of strength she  
could have pulled the trigger. Jason and another larger wolf followed them and then  
Jean-Claude took in the back, it was as if they were all trying to protect Anita, in a  
very unfeminist type of way. She must be too tired to complain.

"Where is she?" Jean-Claude bellowed as Asher felt the voice reverberate around the  
room, it was one of the Master of the City's favorite party tricks and perhaps the only  
one that worked on him. Jean-Claude expressed in anger what the stumbling Anita  
managed in humble words.

"Where is she mon chardonneret, please." She was begging as only a distraught  
mother could, he knew that she did not beg often, she had told him that the last time  
she had used the name and now he could not keep it from her. Damian carried the  
sleeping child into the room as if he had been called, Asher was not sure that he fully  
understood the consequences of Anita being his mistress but surely this was not part  
of it. Jean-Claude blinked once, then twice before he had charged Asher and had him  
pinned to the wall. Anita was a little slow as she took hold of the baby so she did not  
have a chance to stop it.

"You Bastard." He seethed as he let his hand grip tightly at the throat, Jean-Claude  
was not Asher's master and any fight between them was prohibited by the Council,  
but on this occasion the Master of the City did not care.

"Was I supposed to let her die?" He asked. "I could not watch another love die while  
I watched in vain. It is only the first mark."

The words stung Anita as if they could actually cut, she had wanted to keep Julianna  
innocent, allow her daughter to grow as normal children did but now she knew her  
child would never be normal again. She was marked as a human servant, admittedly  
only with one mark but it gave Asher certain powers over her child, a girl of not even  
a year. Would she grow to resent her mother as she was tied to a different Vampire?  
Would she grow at all? Anita did not know what to do.

She remembered when Nathaniel had been rotting and she had asked Asher to save  
him, had he only been carrying out her wishes, she had begged him then not to let him  
die, how could she have Jean-Claude kill him for doing the same for someone that he  
actually cared about.

"Jean-Claude. It's Okay." She said, trying to sooth the beast before it attacked.  
"Asher did the right thing. There was no other way."

"How do you know that Anita?" Richard asked, he too had been shocked that his  
daughter was marked as a servant at such a young age. "How do you know that he  
didn't just get hungry?"

"Because he swore never to take another Servant, he would not give up his beloved's  
memory so easily." She said. "Would you, mon chardonneret?" Jean-Claude  
loosened the grip at the words, he remembered the day he had seen the still mourning  
Asher make the oath, the oath he had sworn on Julianna's grave. Anita spoke the  
truth. It was only one mark, the first was not so strong and his daughter was a tribute  
to her mother with her powers, she would turn away from Asher's gaze as she could  
any other Vampire, she may even be stronger than Anita. He let Asher down and  
pulled his friend into an embrace, apologising in their mother tongue for all he had  
said and done. It was a fitting tribute indeed to Asher's lady love.

Anita watched as they all made their way to the nursery, her menagerie of monsters,  
even Edward who stood to one side with a strange look on his face. Some days she  
wondered if she was one of the monsters, she even lived with them underground but  
right now she was wondering what her daughter had been born to or if she too was  
one of them?

Only time would tell.

-

END


End file.
